Bit of a short chapter, but super important! Probably answers a few of your questions.
I know, I know... When are we gonna get to Naruto stuff? I'm sorry to say that the plot has developed so much that I had to delay Manami leaving. Besides, she can't go anywhere with the Gummi ship gone xD
I hope you enjoy! ~KB
Disclaimer: KH belongs to Nomura...

Ch 4: Enough

It's been less than a week since Master Eraqus left and Manami was about ready to strangle her temporary teacher. What? It's only fair since she's nearly died every single day. Okay, that may be a bit of an exaggeration but that's what it felt like. For the past five days, Manami has had to fight an exponentially growing number of Heartless. While it was good practice for when she encountered them on missions, fighting so many Heartless in such a short time span was beginning to take its toll.

Manami huffed as she fell back into defense. Today she was fighting a hoard of Shadows. How on earth can so many fit into one tiny courtyard?! They just keep coming and coming.

During every fight, Manami lost track of Master Xehanort. It felt like he completely disappeared during her "training" sessions. How was she supposed to improve if he never gave feedback because he was never there! When he did reappear (once all the Heartless were gone), it was always with a disappointed "Humph" or shake of the head. Why was this man never pleased with her work?!

The frustration and anger she felt grew with every blow towards a Shadow. What more did Xehanort want from her? *slash* Couldn't he see Manami was trying her hardest? *swipe* What did she do to deserve this? *slice* Why wasn't it enough?!

Manami took a final swing and finished off the last Shadow. Her breathing was labored from fighting so many; she lost count less than five minutes in. Scoping the courtyard, Manami couldn't find Master Xehanort anywhere. Her grip on her Kingdom Key tightened when she spotted him watching out of a corridor window. Perfectly out of any harm's way, she mentally growled, walking back to her room for the evening.

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Master Xehanort had watched the entire battle. His friend, Eraqus had done a fine job with the young girl but she was too defensive and soft-hearted for his liking. And so long as he was her teacher, he was going to change that.

She already had one foot out the door he opened. Near the end of the fight, Xehanort noticed Manami catch a second wind. Sure, that had happed these past few days, but none like this time. There was a fire in her eyes signaling the brawl was already won. She finished the last of the Shadows in mere minutes after that. He could see the darkness in her heart beginning to surface, and he was going to use that to his full advantage.

The balance between Light and Dark favored the light too much in his opinion. People like Eraqus felt that the Darkness was a bad thing, and it was… unless one knew how to control it. Xehanort took it upon himself to research the Realm of Darkness so he could control the Heartless. That's when he stumbled upon the Corridors of Darkness.

Xehanort discovered that Heartless escape the Ream of Darkness through the Corridors of Darkness. After a few daring attempts, Xehanort discovered that people could travel through the corridors as well. These recent days with Manami proved how efficient the corridors could be for travel. Within minutes, Xehanort could bring a swarm of Heartless to a desired area. He just had to make sure the Heartless were ready ahead of time, which usually meant traveling to the Realm of Darkness beforehand and luring a hoard together.

Previous research showed that Heartless were greatly drawn to Keybearers; Heartless would hone on the Keyblade for some reason to guide them to its wielder. Using this information, Xehanort traveled to the Realm of Darkness, summoning his Keyblade to round up the Heartless. When the time was right, he would open a Corridor of Darkness and send the Heartless to Manami to fight.

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Manami swept her Keyblade around, defeating the last Neoshadow. It was Day Nine since Master Eraqus left for Disney Castle and it consisted of five Neoshadows during the morning bout. The sun reached its peak not too long ago and Master Xehanort had appeared from his hiding spot.

"Go eat," called Master Xehanort, "you'll need your energy for this afternoon's match."

"Yes sir," Manami replied, "but real quick, before we go, may I ask you a question?"

"You just did."

Manami's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "A different question, sir."

"Oh, I suppose so. But make it quick. You're wasting time."

She was wasting time?! He was the one avoiding her question before she even asked it!

"If you don't mind my asking, sir, why are you having me fight so many Heartless? Where are they coming from?!"

Master Xehanort looked at her for a moment before responding, "That's two questions, girl."

Manami blushed in embarrassment as she mumbled, "Sorry."

"I suppose it's only fair though," he continued, "since you are the one fighting them."

Manami looked up in astonishment. She hadn't actually expected him to answer her after that comment.

"The reason you're fighting so many Heartless is because I felt you were under-prepared for actual combat when you go to different worlds. While Master Eraqus has done well to teach you the basics, I thought you needed a more practical experience if you truly want to help."

So I'm not good enough for real missions, is what he's saying, she thought.

"As for where the Heartless come from, the Land of Departure lies in the Realm Between, which is between the Realm of Darkness and the Realm of Light. As we travel to worlds in the Realm of Light, so can we travel to the Realm of Darkness. It's a bit trickier, but manageable. I've managed to find a way to easily transport Heartless as I desire."

Manami stared at Master Xehanort. It was forbidden to venture into the Realm of Darkness. No one had gathered enough information to travel safely, and live that is. To hear that Master Xehanort was able to go back and forth, on multiple occasions, was unbelievable. Manami wanted to ask more, but she was afraid of how Xehanort would respond. So, she bowed to him and left for lunch.

FIN

Wow. That was an interesting chapter to write O.o
So what'd y'all think? Lemme know so I know what to write! ~KB